Brooklyn Drive-In: Exile

First, there’s a dead rat hanging on the front door of the house where Xhafer lives with his wife and children. Then his colleagues “accidentally” no longer receive his emails. The signs that the pharmaceutical engineer is being bullied and harassed in his workplace are increasing. Though neither his wife nor his colleagues seem to believe him, this man, who is originally from Kosovo but has built an existence in Germany, feels more and more outcast from his community. Or is he losing touch with reality?

In his second feature-length film, director Visar Morina dissects the psychological effects of social exclusion and presents them here as an interplay between belonging and alienation. Combining subtle images that gradually shift according to his protagonist’s state of mind with meticulous performances from his extraordinary cast, Morina shows how personality can shape the experience of immigration, and how quickly cracks can develop in even the most stable of identities.